ISLAMABAD: The Afghan defence ministry on Wednesday rejected Pakistan’s claim that the plot to kill five Chinese engineers in the Bisham attack was hatched in Afghanistan. The statement comes a day after Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif said that the planning for the attack was done in Afghanistan and the suicide bomber was also its national. “Terrorists and their facilitators …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday approved the request of former premier Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi seeking her transfer from their Banigala residence— which had been declared a sub-jail — to Adiala Jail, where her husband is currently incarcerated. Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb pronounced the verdict, which had been reserved last week. Although Bushra Bibi’s petition had been disposed …

QUETTA: As the wheat import scandal refuses to die down, former caretaker prime minister Anwarul Haq Kakar has said he never blamed the provinces for the excessive import of the grain, alleging that the media is circulating false news about him. Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr Kakar said the Food Security and Research Department was informed …

WASHINGTON: The US State Department on Tuesday emphasised the importance of ensuring the safety and security of all prisoners in Pakistan, including former prime minister Imran Khan. At Tuesday’s news briefing, State Depart­ment Spoke­sperson Matthew Miller acknowledged a meeting between US Ambassador Donald Blome and leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), including opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan. He said Blome met the leader …

ISLAMABAD: Justice Ayesha A. Malik of the Supreme Court has ruled that parliament lacks the legislative competence to make the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023, rendering the act ultra vires of the Constitution. In an additional note in the practice and procedure case, Justice Malik stated, “The rule-making power under Article 191 of the Constitution exclusively falls within …

ISLAMABAD: Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought contempt proceedings over a complaint filed against him and his alleged vilification on social media. The development came a day after IHC’s Justice Babar Sattar sought contempt proceedings over a social media campaign targeting him and his family. Justice Kayani, the senior-most IHC judge after the chief justice, has …

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Tuesday sought reply from the National Account­ability Bureau (NAB) on an application of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, seeking his acquittal in a reference related to Toshakhana vehicles. Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the accountability court asked NAB’s prosecution to submit reply by May 23. The judge was hearing the reference against President Asif Ali Zardari and …

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Tuesday approved 400,000 tonnes of additional wheat procurement by the Centre, allowed the import of 200,000 tonnes of urea, and sanctioned about Rs144 billion in supplementary grants. However, the ECC meeting, presided over by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, did not immediately allow the supply of subsidised gas to domestic urea …

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday granted post-arrest bail to 10 more suspects in the Corps Commander House attack case of May 9 riots. Judge Arshad Javed allowed bail petitions of the suspects subject to furnishing surety bonds of Rs100,000 each. The suspects include Atif Nisar, Mohammad Naeem, Syed Mazhar Hussain Shah, Khalid Iqbal, Mohammad Riaz, Nadeem Ali, Rana Islam …

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday rubbished the notion that a proposed extension in the retirement age was to favour “one particular institution”, adding that the move would be implemented across the board if approved. The rebuttal comes in the wake of media reports claiming that the government was mulling changes to the Constitution to fix the tenure of the …